Free Paper Specialty Store “ONLY FREE PAPER” and Coffee Shop “Kissa River” Operated by Horie Building

I wanted to make a free paper, so I became a designer

Mr. Horie: "As for free newspapers, since I was a student, I liked to collect things that I liked or designs that I thought were cool in grocery stores or record stores. As I collected these things, I gradually started to want to create something like this! I thought, 'I want to make free newspapers, so I'll become a designer!' That's how I became a designer.

"ONLY FREE PAPER" where you can enjoy free newspapers from all over Japan

Inside the store

Mr. Horie: "Like the Tokyo store, ONLY FREE PAPER is a store where you can take home selected free papers from all over Japan for free. As I myself am a free paper producer, I opened ONLY FREE PAPER NAGOYA here in the Hollié Building as the first store outside of Tokyo. If we operate the store together with a coffee shop, it will serve as a gateway for both 'people who come for the free paper to have a cup of tea' and 'people who come for the coffee shop to see what is available'.

In the future, the gallery will also be in full operation, so I would like to create a place that can be enjoyed from any angle, such as a 'coffee shop', 'free paper', and 'gallery'. ”

-How many variations of free papers are there?

Mr. Horie: "There are about 80 to 100 different types of free papers on a monthly basis. Those with a large number of copies can be replenished, so they're always there, and there are popular free papers that run out quickly.

Mr. Matsue, the owner of ONLY FREE PAPER, regularly visits Nagoya to select papers. However, I can't leave it alone during that time, so I'm trying to make adjustments.

Recently, we have received requests from people who produce free newspapers in the Nagoya area to put them on their website. The main lineup will remain the same, but I think regional characteristics will emerge in the future, and I think this will make it even more interesting."

Free paper "Rooftop and sky free"

Mr. Horie himself is also working on the free paper "Rooftop and Sora Free". I also asked about that.

−What kind of free paper is “Rooftop and Sora free”?

Mr. Horie: "The first trigger was when I was about 19 or 20 years old, there was a rooftop where I used to go to play, and it was torn down. It was a shock to me at the time that even such a large building would be demolished. From that moment on, I started taking rooftop photos, thinking that the view from the rooftop that I see now may never be seen again, and that I had to take pictures.

In 2005, I launched the website "Rooftop Documentary Photography: Rooftop Sora. In 2009, I released a rooftop photo book titled "Rooftop and Sora" in order to open a booth at an event, but only two copies sold (laugh). (Laughs.) So I started "Rooftops and Sora Free" to promote the photo books that I had in stock.

-To date, 33 issues of "Rooftop and Sora Free" have been published. Among them, I heard the number that remains in my memory.

Horie: "I put a lot of effort into "Rooftop and Sora free vol.22" and "Rooftop and Sora free vol.23." I was hooked on the NHK morning drama "Amachan," so I had an Ama loss. So I changed the content just before submitting the manuscript, and made it more Amachan-esque. In the end, my Ama-chan loss continued for two issues (laughs). (Laughs.) Because of these memories, these two issues left a deep impression on me.

When I started free papers in 2010, I had the impression that the number of paper products was drastically decreasing. I think it was around this time that the image of free paper = coupon paper. That is why I felt that I had to create something that would make a high-profile statement about what I like.

It was because of this that we were able to connect with ONLY FREE PAPER. We don't think it's a hassle to do something we love. For example, recently, there are free papers that are full of love for Jomon period and lighthouses, and they put their favorite things and overflowing thoughts on the paper. I am very happy to be able to read such free papers."